People have this conception of kindergarten as children playing, getting cookies and milk, and taking a nap. As any kindergarten teacher will tell you, that isn’t the reality anymore. The focus on academics has been pushed downward.
In my many years teaching kindergarten through third grade, I watched unstructured playtime shrink, replaced by worksheets and nightly homework. The shift started in the 1990s, when studies ranked students in the United States well below those in other developed nations like Japan in math and reading. There was a push to close that gap, and one solution was to start emphasizing academic subjects at a younger age.
When kindergarten was less academic, it was an easier transition from home to school for most children. Now seat work starts in kindergarten, which means the transition is difficult for many children. Many kids aren’t so eager to make the jump into the world of worksheets and seat work.
It’s normal for students to be all over the map developmentally at this age. Each child’s brain develops differently, and their level of exposure to different experiences as they enter kindergarten varies widely. That’s why students attend preschool and kindergarten programs instead of just jumping straight into primary school – to get everyone on the same page before barreling full tilt into the world of letter grades and federal testing.
There are many things parents of young children can do to help their children be ready for kindergarten. See “Success in School Begins with Involved Parents”.
Playing math games is one of the most effective things parents can do to help their child make an easier transition into kindergarten math.
The following game is one of my favorites for young children:
Counters in a Cup
What you need:
2 players
5-10 counters (buttons, pennies, paper clips, etc.)
paper cup
paper and pencils
The object of this game is to figure out how many counters are hidden.
Decide how many counters you will use. Write this total number on the paper. With very young children, begin with a small number, such as 4.
Player #1 closes his/her eyes. Player #2 hides some of the counters under the cup and leaves the rest out for all to see.
Player #1 opens his/her eyes and figures out how many counters are hidden under the cup. Lift the cup to check. On the paper, write the hidden number in the cup and the number left out. For example, 3 left out, 1 under the cup = 4.
Player #2 hides his/her eyes and Player #1 hides some of the counters under the cup.
Players continue to alternate turns.
Your paper will reflect different ways to break the total number into two parts: 4=3+1, 4=2+2, 4=4+0
Can you find a way that is not shown?
Now pick a different amount of counters and continue to play.
